The optimization of the extraction of natural antioxidants from white tea has fostered intensive research. This study has investigated the effects of ethanol-water mixtures, temperature and time on the extraction of polyphenols and antioxidant components from white tea. The response surface methodology was applied to identify the best extraction conditions. The best conditions to maximize the extraction of total polyphenols were: ethanol, 50%, for 47.5 min. Although the yield of polyphenols was optimal at 65 °C, the maximum antioxidant capacity was achieved with an extraction temperature of 90 °C. This study has identified the optimal conditions for the extraction of tea liquor with the best antioxidant properties. Epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin and epicatechin were extracted from white tea at concentrations up to 29.6 ± 10.6, 5.40 ± 2.09, 5.04 ± 0.20 and 2.48 ± 1.10 mg/100 g. - See more at: http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/3/4/684/html#sthash.DWIdO5Ua.dpuf

Teachers and students need some time to adapt to the fast and constant advancement of new technologies and the new educational methodologies that arise from these. Hence, it is difficult to make the most of all the possibilities of the technological resources available today that can improve the teaching and learning process.
This is the case of Moodle, an
open source learning management system. Generally, the main use of a virtual campus based on Moodle is as a repository. However, another type of interactive learning
activities (such as quizzes, forums or lessons) can be performed.
In order to explore how to harness the interactivity of Moodle, in 2012 a master's thesis was carried out for the Master’s Degree in Teacher Training of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-
BarcelonaTech). The main goal of the thesis was the implementation of quizzes aimed at secondary education students, the main results of which are shown in the present work.

In 1717 the King Philip V established the Royal Guards Headquarters (Cuartel de
Guardias de Corps), mirroring the French garde du corps du roi. Intended mainly for
noblemen, it was an elitist institution, all its members having the rank of officers and
benefitting from huge privileges. Towards the end of 1750 an Academy of
Mathematics (Academia de Matemáticas) was created within the Royal Guards
Headquarters, under the direction of Captain Pedro Padilla (1724-1807?). This
academy was ruled by the same regulations as the Military Academy of Mathematics
of Barcelona (1720-1803).1 Attendance was not mandatory; it was only devised for
those interested in getting a deeper mathematical knowledge. In fact, rather than its
real practical use for the Royal Guards, mathematics was studied as a mark of
prestige as Hidalgo (1991) pointed out.

Modelling is a necessary tool to represent, analyse and discuss aspects or ideas
related to complex systems. With this in mind, teaching science based on the elaboration of
models is widely accepted in the academic community. A relatively new methodology of
modelling exists with a different philosophy and perspective from the classic and continuous
models used up usually, the so-called agent-based models (ABMs). The general aim of the
work is to make this kind of discrete modelling well-known, so that ABMs may be
incorporated progressively into the academic curricula, complementing other existing
modelling strategies.

In 2005 the virtual campus Atenea of the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) started to use Moodle, an open source learning management system that offers a wide variety of teaching tools [3]. One of these tools, the quiz module, represents an alternative to traditional face-to-face courses and paper-based testing. In order to explore how to apply this new strategy, in 2008 we started to carry out a project subsidised by the Institute of Education Sciences (ICE) of the UPC. The project title was “Creating Moodle quizzes for the subjects of Mathematics and Statistics corresponding to the first years in engineering studies”. It covered the compulsory undergraduate subjects in applied mathematics included in the first- and second-year syllabus for all branches of Engineering. The aims were to elaborate a substantial range of Moodle question pools and to design, implement and assess a series of quizzes, to use Moodle quizzes to promote more effective, dynamic and autonomous learning, and to change teachers’ and students’ attitude towards the campus Atenea.

Sylvestre François Lacroix (1765-1843) composed textbooks in mathematics that turned out to be highly popular and influential over a period of fifty years. In fact with his work Lacroix contributed to the establishment of mathematics instruction in the new public system of education in France. Ranging over practically all branches of school mathematics, his textbooks were addressed to students of all degrees of mathematics instruction, and specifically, to engineers-to-be. In 1816 he wrote the volume Essais sur l’enseignement en général, et sur celui des mathématiques en particulier, ou Manière d’étudier et d’enseigner les Mathématiques. This work gathered Lacroix’s reflections on the education of sciences, in general, and of mathematics, in particular. The aim of this paper is to analyze some values and attitudes in education highlighted by Lacroix in his Essais. The discussion of some excerpts from this work reveals that Lacroix regarded as a fundamental component in the education of sciences and mathematics the transmission of values such as the search for the truth beyond prejudices, communication skills, collaborative work and lifelong learning, among others. Hence, Lacroix’s text, written nearly two centuries ago, displays values in engineering education that still hold today.

Blanco Abellan, Monica; Ginovart Gisbert, MartaCIEAEM59: Mathematical activity in classroom practice and as research object in didactics: two complementary perspectivesp. 65-72Presentation's date: 2007-07-23Presentation of work at congresses

Exploratory data analysis methods form an integral part of many engineering programs, as a component of a course in basic statistics. In this article a number of useful approaches are suggested to aid the instructor of the exploratory data analysis methods in engineering education within the framework of the European Credit Transfer System. These include ideas for oral presentations, projects, writing component, student-generated data, and cooperative learning. We believe these techniques help students develop an appreciation for the field of exploratory data analysis and the broad range of its applications in practice.